On 4th November 2022, I got engaged at Hotel Gotham, Manchester. What was (or so I thought) a pre-booked babymoon getaway, suddenly turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of my life – and I couldn’t be more grateful that it happened at one of the best hotels in the UK.
Hotel Gotham is a five star, art-deco hotel with an exclusive bar and a fabulous dining venue. Taking its name from the fictional city everyone knows in Batman – Hotel Gotham evokes a 1920s New York style with noir-inspired interiors. Renowned as a sublime multi-sensory experience, the hotel is a a former premises of Midland Bank, located at 100 King Street in the central conservation area. In total there are 60 luxurious rooms, spread over seven floors. This includes 55 bedrooms and five Inner Sanctum Suites, starting at £185, with some expecting to pay up to £1,000 per night for the suites. You can read all about the hotel, its luxury chauffeur service, location and history via the website. There’s so much to love about this place.
Entering Hotel Gotham
As part of the hotel’s ethos to provide a discrete and private experience, only guests with a reservation at the bar, restaurant or hotel are allowed inside. Upon arrival, you’re welcomed into the warmth of the building by Bell Boys that tend the 24-hour entrance hall. I want to note that there is no onsite parking at Hotel Gotham, but there are loads of car parks in the area. We parked at a 24-hour secure space around 2-3 mins walk away for a reasonable price. Once inside the hotel, expect a brief chat about the weather and reason for your stay before being whisked up to the main reception on the sixth floor (either via the stairs or lift.) The reception area is gorgeously golden and guests can expect to be welcomed by a life-size model butler. Nods to the hotels banking history surround you – it’s such a gorgeous setting.
When checking in, the lovely hotel receptionist asked our reason for the stay. It was then I stated I’ve wanted to visit Hotel Gotham for YEARS and we finally had a chance for a quick getaway. We told staff we were visiting for our babymoon trip and in the morning, we’d be heading off for an #AD-PR review at Hotel Indigo – Chester. Josh’s face didn’t give anything away – not even a flinch. Once checked in, it was only then I noticed that a few of the rooms had names on them (indicating suites.) I must’ve made a random comment about it because it was only when we showed up at our room that I noticed we had a name on our door. Cue intense curiosity…
The Heywood – 307
I side-eyed Josh as I opened the door. Music was coming from inside. It was only when moving closer to the middle of the room I spotted the rose petals on the super-kingsize bed. Classical musical playing from the TV. A huge chocolate board in the separate seating area. Well, surprising to say this wasn’t the babymoon I had expected, but still genuinely didn’t think anything of it. I figured Josh was being an old romantic. All suites are equipped with Egyptian cotton bed linen • waffle robes • slippers • minibar • espresso machine • en suite with shower • flatscreen TV • chair • free WiFi. A brilliant factor of the hotel also means that if you like the look of anything in the room, including the props, throws, wine, etc – you can put anything you want into a money sack (provided inside the desk) and you can pay for the items at check-out and take them away with you.
One of the things I absolutely loved about Hotel Gotham is that each room is given its own branded newspaper (one which I’ve stored away as a keepsake) which tells guests everything they need to know about the hotel and their stay. From a guest directory, information about the hotel, to more info on the beloved restaurant (Honey) – to a room service menu. Guests can expect platters, steaks, pizza, fish, sandwiches and tantalising desserts. On the drive to the hotel, we had already decided we were going to stay in and order room service, so this was very exciting. We ordered steaks and chips and a few beers for Josh. While we waited, I jumped into the shower which was quite honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Being heavily pregnant has meant, this time around, I’ve been limited to walking so I was thoroughly looking forward to a steamy shower!
A huge space with plenty of room and White Company products, I remember taking in every single moment. Looking back, for some reason that shower felt different. Something was just lingering in the air and I couldn’t think why. Perhaps because it was the perfect way to end a drizzly Friday after a super long 3-hour drive.
And then little did I know…
Surprise proposal at Hotel Gotham
Once squeaky clean and ready to feast, there was a knock at the door. Room service had arrived, and two people; a man and woman smartly dressed, entered the room to deliver our food. It came on a trolley with those steel coverings and they lifted them to reveal our steaks, fries and pudding. We had a brief chat about how busy the hotel restaurant was that night before they swiftly left. And then it happened. The main details I’m keeping just for us – but once I saw the ring, it was probably one of the only times in my life I was left speechless. As a matter of fact, it didn’t feel quite real until I woke up the next morning and saw the ring was still on my finger. At this point, Josh and I had been together almost 15 years (now 16) and truth is, we’ve never felt the pressure to get married. After having kids, everything else feels a bit more trivial. But of course, this was one of the biggest surprises of my life and I’m so glad it happened this way. It took me by total surprise and I was left standing there, in my cosy pjs, a fluffy hotel robe around me with a beautiful ring with 7 diamonds on my finger.
Around 10 minutes later, after the initial shock had worn off, we finally dug into our food. Josh mentioned later on he probably didn’t think it through as we wouldn’t have eaten straight away, but I honestly didn’t care. It was the best tasting steak I’ve ever had the pleasure of chewing. Probably and surely because of the overwhelming adrenaline that was still running wild. I’m so happy that the proposal was unexpected as it meant the rest of the weekend was a complete celebration. We didn’t tell friends or family until the morning after, so we kept everything really close before we were ready to tell the rest of the world. I’m finally becoming a Pyzer!
Huge thanks to hotel team for the spectacular set-up in the room, and for making our engagement one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I can’t wait to return at some point to relive the magic that is Hotel Gotham.
100 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WU
Enquiries: 0161 413 0000
Email: [email protected]